Date Molasses, Date Syrup and Date Paste
What each product is, how date molasses is made, how it differs from paste and sugar, and how to use it sensibly.
Date molasses and date syrup are, in most shops, the same thing: a thick, dark, very sweet syrup made by extracting sugars from dates and boiling them down. Some sources use “molasses” for the cruder liquid and “syrup” for the more refined product. Date paste (whole dates blended) and date sugar (dried, ground dates) are different products. None is a low-sugar food: the syrup is mostly sugar.
What Is Date Molasses?
Date molasses is a thick, dark brown syrup extracted from dates. It goes by many names: date syrup, date honey, date palm molasses, dibs (دبس) in Arabic, rub, silan in Hebrew and shira khorma in Persian. It is widely used in Middle Eastern and North African cooking.
The FAO-linked Feedipedia database lists “date molasses”, “date palm molasses” and “date syrup” as common names for the same material. It adds a distinction used in processing: date molasses is the liquid drained from the sump where dates are packed, sold by cleanliness and quality and mostly used for people, while “date syrup” is the more refined product, with about 25-30% water.
For a plain-language definition, see What Is Date Molasses?
How Is It Made?
A 2026 review in Foods describes the standard process:
- Dates are cleaned and the flesh is pulped.
- Hot water extracts the sugars, and the mixture is filtered.
- The liquid is clarified and concentrated by heating until it reaches the desired thickness and sugar content.
Traditional production relies on judgement for temperature, time and thickness, and the review notes that heat can degrade some nutrients and bioactive compounds.
To try it yourself, see How to Make Date Molasses at Home.
Date Molasses vs Date Syrup vs Date Paste vs Date Sugar
| Product | What it is | Texture |
|---|---|---|
| Date molasses / date syrup | Sugars extracted from dates and concentrated | Thick, pourable syrup |
| Date paste | Whole pitted dates blended into a paste | Thick, sticky paste with fibre |
| Date sugar | Dried dates ground into a granular product | Dry granules |
| Cane molasses | By-product of sugar-cane refining; a different product | Dark, thick, often more bitter |
The Feedipedia entry notes that date molasses sugar is mostly reducing sugars (glucose and fructose), unlike cane molasses.
No standard legal definition of “date molasses” versus “date syrup” was found. The date sugar and date paste descriptions above reflect common usage rather than a cited standard – treat them as general descriptions, not regulatory definitions.
The longer comparison is in Date Syrup vs Date Molasses.
What Is in It?
Sugar is the main component. In an Egyptian study of syrups made from Siwy and Zahdy dates, syrup extracted with hot water had about 28-29% moisture and about 68-69% total sugars, with small amounts of protein, fat and ash. Composition varies by date variety and method, and Feedipedia notes that data on date molasses itself are lacking.
How Is It Used?
- Drizzled on yoghurt, pancakes or porridge
- Mixed into dressings and marinades
- As a coating for desserts: in Saudi cooking, luqaimat dumplings are typically coated in date syrup or honey
- As a substitute for other syrups, with a different flavour
Is It Healthy?
It is a concentrated sugar. The WHO counts sugars naturally present in syrups as “free sugars” and recommends keeping them below 10% of daily energy, and below 5% (about 25 g) for added benefit. A little goes a long way.
Buying Tips
- Read the ingredients: it should list dates (and water), not added sugar or glucose syrup.
- Check the origin and best-before date.
- Compare size by weight, not by the jar.
- Store as the label says, and refrigerate after opening if it advises this.
Common Questions
Is date molasses the same as date syrup?
Usually, yes. Some producers use “molasses” for the cruder product and “syrup” for the refined one.
Is date molasses the same as cane molasses?
No. They come from different sources and taste different.
Can I use date syrup instead of molasses?
Often, but the flavour, sweetness and colour differ. See Date Syrup vs Date Molasses.
Sources
- Feedipedia (INRAE, CIRAD, AFZ, FAO), “Date molasses”: feedipedia.review.fao.org/node/8013
- Noutfia, Y. et al. (2026). “A Comprehensive Review on Date Syrup.” Foods 15(13):2400. doi.org/10.3390/foods15132400
- “Processing of date honey” (Siwy and Zahdy syrups), Egyptian journal: journals.ekb.eg/article_71310.html
- “Date honey,” Wikipedia (names used across regions): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_honey
- Saudipedia, “Luqaimat”: saudipedia.com/en/luqaimat; Outlook Traveller, “7 desserts to try on your Saudi Arabia trip”: outlooktraveller.com
- WHO (2015), “Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children”: who.int
The Wikipedia article above was used only as a source for the list of regional names for date molasses, not for any factual or nutritional claim.
Written by Amira Noor. Last reviewed: 29 October 2026.